Craftsman 917.258532 Owner's Manual page 15

OPERAT!
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o Be sure the tractor is on level ground+
° Place the motion control lever in neutral
Release the parking brake and let the clutch/brake
slowly return to operating position.
o Allow one minute for transmission to warm up.
This can be done during the engine warm up
period_
- The attachments can also be used during the engine
warm-up period afterthe transmission has been warmed
up.
NOTE; If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold
tempe ratures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may
need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See 'q'O
ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments
section of this manual
MOWING TIPS
• Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing
is attached to tractor+
° Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing
performance. See "TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in
the Service and Adjustments section of this manual
• The left hand side of mower should be used for trim-
ming.
• Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area
that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the
tractor. This will result in a more even distribution of
clippings and more uniform cutting+
° When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right
so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs,
fences, driveways, etc, After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left hand turns until
finished (See Fig+ 12 )+
• If grass is extremely tall, it should be mowed twice to
reduce load and possible fire hazard from dried clip-
pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired height,
° Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass will plug
mower and leave undesirable clumps Allow grass to
dry before mowing.
- Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to
assure better mowing performance and proper dis-
charge of material. Regulate ground speed by select-
ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting
performance as welt as the quality of cut desired
• When operating attachments, select a ground speed
that will suit the terrain and give best performance of
the attachment being used.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP
MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND
TRASH CLEAN AFTER EACH USE
• The special mulching blade will recur the grass clip-
pings many times and reduce them in size so that as
they fall onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass
and not be noticed° Also, the mulched grass will
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn.
Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed
as this will provide the best recutting action of the
blades°
• Avoidcutting yourlawnwhen it is wet Wet grass tends
toformclumpsand interferes with themulching action.
The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon.
At this time the grass has dried and the newly cut area
will not be exposed to the direct sun.
° For best resuits, adjust the mower cutting height so that
the mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass
blades (See Fig. 13)+ For extremely heavy muiching,
reduce your width of cut and mow slowly+
. Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re-
quire that an area be mulched a second time to
completely hide the clippings. When doing a second
cut, mow across or perpendicular to the first cut path.
o Change your cutting pattern from week to week. Mow
north to south one week then change to east to west the
next week. This will help prevent matting and graining
of the lawn.
MAX 1/3
FIG. 13
f
t
FIG. 12
15